Unconscious ‘gaydar’ more effective on women: study

Most people possess an automatic “gaydar” that assesses sexual orientation in less than a blink of an eye, research has shown.

In tests, scientists found gaydar works on an unconscious level and is more accurate when directed at women. Volunteers asked to distinguish between photos of “straight” and “gay” faces were able to do so in 50 milliseconds — a third of the time of an eyeblink.

Their accuracy remained greater than chance even when the photos were upside down. For women’s faces, participants were 65% accurate in guessing sexual orientation when the photos were briefly flashed on a computer screen.